Uzumaki no Monogatari
by Ramenmaru
Summary: Every five years, the mightiest clans from the Land of Fire gather at its center, Hibanakura, and lay their honor on the line in a clash to prove their superiority to the world. With Lord Haruno declaring the tournament a year early, the Uzumaki siblings visiting, and rumors of impending war across the land, will things be different this time around? [Asian Medieval Fantasy AU].


**Uzumaki no Monogatari**

**Chapter 1**

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><p>DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of Masashi Kishimoto's characters in his series, Naruto.<p>

'_thoughts_'

"speech"

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><p><strong>Year 263 H.S. (<em>Hi no Shihai<em>)**  
><strong>Uzumaki Compound<strong>  
><strong>7:00 AM<strong>

A gentle breeze rustled through the flowering trees that stood gallantly in the distance. The sun appeared to bask in its own rays, hovering blithely over the mountains in the horizon. The almost metronomic sound of peacocks enthusiastically pecking at their early catch could be heard in this quiet morning.

On a certain compound, a young boy could be seen sweeping a hallway by a pond. With his eyes slightly closed, his long black hair swayed softly from side to side as he dutifully brushed the dust away from the floor with the broom.

'_Ah, what a beautiful morning,_' thought Haku with a smile as he brushed a few strands of his silky hair behind his ears, '_I wonder if the elders have fed the peacocks already._'

At this time of the day, most of the younger residents still lay in bed asleep while the older ones would either be meditating, finishing up some early chores, or preparing breakfasts for everyone. Haku, who was 13 years old, was the only exception among the younger generation.

Making a mental note to visit on the household peacocks later, Haku sighed and wondered when the others were going to wake up.

'_Maybe they aren't feeling well. Should I go check up on th-_'

"NAARUTOOOO!"

A screeching scream dripping of bloodlust echoed throughout the Uzumaki compound as a robed young girl kicked down her shoji screen door and stomped her way across the hallway Haku had just finished sweeping.

Haku instinctively froze, wondering what could have upset the young lady so early in the morning. From experiences, he knew it was never a good thing to face the wrath of the girl behind him head-on. The heavy footsteps approached him from behind. He could only gulp as he felt her glare land on him. Perhaps a smile would ease her stress!

Slowly yet casually turning around to face her, he greeted, "Good morning, Nori-dono. You are so energetic to-"

He could not finish the sentence as he had thrown himself to the left, off the hallway floors to the bare ground, to dodge her incoming punch!

"Haku, you are in the way. You better not look or try to stop me! Else, you are going to be feeling a lot of pain later, dattebane!" growled the young girl known as Nori as she rushed to the room at the end of the hallway.

He nodded eagerly, an overly-complacent smile on his face, "Y-yes, Nori-dono!"

"She sure is unruly for a 13 years old lady, haha," he watched the retreating back of the young girl as she forced open the sliding doors at the end of the hallway and launched herself in before closing it swiftly.

Moments later, Haku could only sigh as he heard cries for help escape the room, "I wonder what Naruto-kun or Menma-kun did this time..."

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><p>"Kaa-san, I am telling you! Nori is a brute!" exclaimed both Menma and Naruto in unison, a pout for lips and fingers pointing at Nori to make their point.<p>

A vein seemed to be throbbing on Nori's forehead as she shut her eyes, trying to ignore her brothers' jabs, '_Calm down, Nori. They are idiots. You are older. Keep calm.._'

They were all having breakfast at the moment. Her twin brothers, Naruto and Menma, sat next to one another, across of her while Haku sat to her left. The table they ate on was a large one, able to accommodate up to eight, made of agarwood, with intricate designs carved on its edges. Her father, Minato Namikaze, had just left on an early errand back to his family's farmhouse while her mother, Uzumaki Kushina, was currently washing his dishes.

"Now, now, children. Don't tease each other too much. We are all family, after all neh!" said Kushina gently as she walked back towards the table, taking her apron off and setting it on the counter. She looked over to her nine years old twins and saw that they hadn't heard her at all. A sigh escaped her lips.

"Yeah! She is a brute and only thinks with her muscles, right Naruto?" whispered Menma to his twin brother.

Naruto, who had his arms crossed on his chest, nodded enthusiastically while dangling a piece of pancake on his mouth. He swallowed it and once again pointed at his sister, "What are you talking about, Menma? Nee-chan doesn't think! She only hi-"

'That's it! They are both so dead!' Nori was about to jump off her seat towards her brothers when suddenly, she felt Haku hold her hands down and keep her seated. She looked over to him with a questioning look before she understood and smirked smugly at her brothers.

"Na-chan, Me-chan, what did mommy just say?" a saccharine voice chimed in. The twins straighten their backs simultaneously and forced themselves to turn to face their mother slowly who was standing behind them. She lovingly embraced the both of them, an overly-sweet smile plastered on her face as she ruffled the spikes of their golden hair. They gulped loudly while smiling back at their mother, "H-Hai...?"

A light bulb seemed to have lit on Menma's head, "Ah! Kaa-san! You said that we shouldn't tease each other so much!"

This earned a nod from Kushina, who had been expecting Menma to remember despite his lac of attention. She knew he had a good grasp of awareness and memory. "Very good, Me-chan! Now, Na-kun, what else did mommy say?"

Naruto looked up, trying to muster a smile, "T-that you love us?"

"Yes, I love you all very much, Na-chan, but I said that we are all family so we shouldn't tease each other."

Naruto nodded and sighed in relief after a few seconds.

"Me-chan?"

"Yes, kaa-san?"

"...No ramen for today!"

"Eh!?" Menma looked appalled while Naruto began to sweat bullets.

"Na-chan?"

"H-h-hai, kaa-san?"

"No ramen for today and tomorrow!"

"EHHH!?"

Naruto fainted as Nori began to burst out in laughter.

"Nori-chan?"

"Eek! H-hai?"

"Mommy is going to head out now to buy some groceries. I might be a bit late, so could you go to the shrine after this?"

Nori let out the breath she had been holding in relief and nodded happily. Menma pouted, but shrugged it off and began playing with Naruto's cheeks.

Giggling at her childrens' antics, Kushina bend down and kiss them both on the forehead before also doing the same for Nori and Haku, "Haku, aunty is going out now. Please watch over all of them until I get back-dattebane! And make sure they do their chores!"

"Yes, Kushina-sama!"

And with that, she grabbed a groceries bag and left, sliding the door shut after had Haku bowed and wished her farewell.

Haku turned around and looked at the scene before him. Naruto was still fainted, Menma was now poking his food, and Nori was paralyzed with stars in her eyes. She had been awestruck by her mother's actions.

He sighed and proceeded to pick up the empty dishes on the table.

It was going to be another long day.

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><p><strong>Namikaze Farmhouse's Harbor<strong>  
><strong>8:45 AM<strong>

Minato had departed from Uzumaki Island about an hour ago, and had just arrived at his parents' farmhouse, here, a small port in the mainland, the Land of Fire. Carrying two metal boxes off the boat he had rowed in with, the blonde young man in his early-twenties made his way to the two-story building closest to the port, the fishing warehouse. '_Sigh, why do these feel heavier? Haha_'

The cement road he walked on branched out from the port to all the surrounding buildings and beyond. Seeing the wet puddles throughout the path, he knew that his friends had already been awake for a few hours. As he got closer to the building, Minato noticed that the title plate on the building had been repainted a bright gold and outlined with a darker shade of silver. Attached to the sign, an intricately carved fish appeared to bend towards the golden words.

'Eh?' he had noticed a new addition to the title plate, 'Ah, they added a motto!'

"Hiraishin Shijō," he read the title proudly, followed by the smaller font beneath it, "Like a roar of thunder, the fish is delivered and the sound of laughter fills the world."

"Minato-chan, is that you?" an elderly man poked his head out from window as a wide grin grew on his face, "Oh my! It is! Hey guys! Minato-chan is back! Open the door!"

Minato blinked at being caught so fast and chuckled, "Good morning, o-jiisan! It is nice to see you again."

The door to the building swiftly slammed open and two bulky men came scurrying out. "Ah, it is good to see you Minato! Here, let us help you with that," said the taller of the two as he picked one of the boxes and handed it to the other before picking the second one for himself, "Come on in!"

Minato smiled and followed them in before closing the door after the three of them had entered, "Thank you, Ryou-san, Shi-san. It has been while. I don't recall seeing you guys during my visit last week."

"Hmm..that's right! Last week was our turn to go to the Hibanakura, and guess what, Minato, our fish sold out in just an hour! So, Shi and I stayed to enjoy some, you know, company!" Ryou winked mischievously as he placed box on a table by the entrance.

The inside of the building was rather plain, with a rows of table filed up to the right wall of the room, chairs on the left, and a long sink at the end of it. To the left of the sink was the door to the ice room, where they would store the fresh catches and cultivation later. The chairs were stacked under the stairs that led to the second floor.

"But Ryou-san, you are almost twenty-eight now. And Shi-san, you are twenty six. You guys should be settling down about now," Minato took a chair from the stacked pile and sat down as he watched Shi place the box on the table. A small teasing grin flashed across his face, "Or else, if it is too late, no woman is going to want your wrinkly selves."

Ryou scoffed before he returned a smirk of his own. "Minato-kun," this is what Ryou would call him before one of his bravados, "A man does not need a woman for only a woman needs a man! We, men of this trade, only need our passion and fish! Besides, I don't mean to brag, but...Shi and I are dashingly handsome. The ladies at Hibanakura said so!"

Shi sighed and laughed sheepishly, "Ryou, that's because we paid them well."

Minato could only laugh out heartily at Shi's words and Ryou's dejected sigh.

"Nevertheless, my confidence shall be the sword to my woman's heart!" exclaimed Ryou, holding his fist up in a dramatic fashion to prove the point, earning more laughter out of Minato and Shi.

"Hai, hai. Ryou, if you don't start heading to the Hibanakura, not even confidence will have fate reserve you a woman," a voice admonished with a chuckle as it descended from the stairs.

"Ack! Katsuaki-jiisan! I'd be on my way!" Ryou, panicking, looked at his watched and hurried towards the door, "See you some other time, Minato! Bring Naruto-chan and Menma-chan next time!"

Minato smiled and nodded, waving goodbye before politely bowing to the elder, "I hope you haven't been stressing your bones too much, Katsuaki-jiisan."

"Bah, nonsense! I still got twenty years more running on me! Even at my age, I can do just as much work as these brats!" retorted pridefully with a smile while flexing his bulky muscles, "Gotta have 'em like these before you can start talking Minato-chan!"

'_No one has them like that, jiisan...They are way oversized!' _sighed Minato, scratching his head, "H-hai.."

Shi looked over at his box and opened it, "Eh? Minato, what's wrapped in this bento boxes?"

"Oh right! I brought some clams and coconuts from the island," Minato walked over to the second box and brought out a five-layered bento box, "And Kushina-chan made some chiki-agi for you guys! It is really delicious!"

Katsuaki immediately perked up upon hearing that! He had always enjoyed the spiced-touch that Kushina added to her meals whenever Minato brought her over to the farmhouse during his fish-delivering days. He still remembered that rainy day when Minato had returned home with an unconscious young lady with fiery red hair in his arms. He had found her out in the sea after spotting a flipped boat. The meals for the next few days had been the best he had had since his beloved late wife.

"I am going to say it just like before, Minato-chan. You are very lucky to have a woman like Kushina!" the elder's deep voice bellowed with laughter as he saw Minato's very reddened face nod.

"H-hai..!" Minato replied loudly with a wide grin despite his increasingly red face. He took out a three gourds from underneath the bento box, "Brought some of your favorite, Shi-san."

The three burst out into bigger laughter and clanked gourds as they downed the drink.

* * *

><p><strong>Hibanakura Gates<strong>  
><strong>11:20 AM<strong>

"What is your business here, sir?" demanded the inspector standing in front of the guards, his lips pursed into an eternal frown. The man in front of him gave a nod of acknowledgement and removed his _sugegasa_, a conical shaped-hat to protect the wearer from the sun's glaring rays.

"We are from Hiraishin Market. I have brought some of our finest fish today!" Ryou gestured to the carriage behind him consisting of two oxen, a wheelbarrow, and two other co-workers at the back. Metal boxes were tied tightly across the surface of the platform. He then pulled out a bronze slab from his sleeves, "Here, our official trades plaque."

"Hiraishin Market.., I see," he examined the thin bar of bronze with their title engraved on it, "Very well. Let them through!"

Retrieving the bronze slab, Ryou gave a quick appreciative bow and signal the men to push the carriage in as the guards moved on to the group behind them.

He heard one of the guards whisper, "Tsk, another bronze bar merchant. They should just become taijutsu learners. Why waste their lives in something else?"

Ryou held his breath and kept walking, a scowl ever present on his face, "Bastards."

He undid the knots on the ropes that connected the goods with the oxen and pulled the oxen in his direction, towards a cement building filled with other cattle. He tied them to one of the open posts and left to join the group again.

As his group got closer to the center of city, the smell of fresh steamed buns filled the air and cacophony of merchants shouting over one another rung their ears. From the torn, worn-out, colorless robes to those who wore multi-layered, colorful robes of silk, families of all social statuses crowded the district. It always annoyed Ryou how many guards a noble could have around him when shopping, with their iron spears threatening those around as it glistened beneath the sun.

"Alright, there's our spot," he said as they gradually squeezed the cart pass the crowd, making sure no one stole anything, "Remember to unload the ice first."

The men nodded and proceeded to do as they were told with a sigh. The trip had been more tiring than usual with the slow traffic that was the crowd.

After a few minutes, Ryou could only smirk when he saw that some of their regulars were walking towards them, ready to buy from them, '_Oh yes! Today, we might be able to sell everything in an hour again!_'

While he celebrated in his mind, he noticed that the passerby's were all chattering very eagerly about a certain declaration, '_Hn, I will ask about it later._'

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><p>It had been about two hours since they had set their station and with only two rival merchants of bronze status in sight today, the sales had gone by rather swiftly. Though not as quick as Ryou had predicted, the man wore a satisfied smile as he looked upon the final fish on the ice, a pacific saury.<p>

"Hey you! How much for the last one?" an amicable airy voice asked politely. Ryou looked up, his salesman smile on, hands in a closed clap gesture, "Oh, mister! It is the last one indeed! And right now, just for you, it shall only be thirty bronze _ha!_"

The customer was a young man with shoulder-length brown hair tied up into a pony tail and a scar across the bridge of his nose. He smiled and took out silver, wedge-shaped piece along with a white clean cloth and handed it to Ryou.

"Seventy bronze ha is your change, mister!" Ryou returned the smile just as he wrapped the fish in the cloth, "Thank you for buying from us!"

As he prepared the change, the customer suddenly spoke up, "You guys look strong! Are you guys taijutsu learners, by any chance?"

"Ah, no, mister. The boys and I are just simple fisherman. I dare say we are strong but we don't have a clue about taijutsu, haha!"

"Ah, I understand. I was just curious since Lord Haruno's quinquennial tournament just began this morning! This time's first round wasn't as exciting as the one from five years ago, but there were some amazing warriors out there!"

'So this is what all the chatter earlier was about, huh,' Ryou politely inquired, "Is it the Hyuuga again? Or the Uchiha this time?"

"Oh, surprisingly, the Hyuuga didn't send anyone out this year. But you are right! It is an Uchiha. And the Uchiha heir at that!"

"If I am remembering this right, I believe it is Itachi-sama you are referring to?" Ryou was surprised at the news. Last he had heard, the heir was but a kid! Were the Uchiha insane?

"Hai! That's the boy! Itachi Uchiha!" said the man with much enthusiasm, "He is only 15 years of age too!"

Handing a few bronze _ha _back to the customer, Ryou laughed out loud, "That's the Uchiha for you. Once again, thank you for buying from us."

The man nodded grinning, "Hiraishin Market, huh? It was great having this brief conversation with you."

"We are humbled, mister. But you are welcomed anytime!" Ryou replied as he wiped his hands with a cloth, '_More like..I was listening..but meh, the information will make good talk later._'

"I am Iruka, by the way," noted the man as he placed the fish into a basket he had been carrying on his back, "See you!"

'_Hmm...he must work for a noble_' Ryou noted to himself after seeing the intricate quality of the basket with an crest weave onto it, '_That insignia...seems familiar.'_

Shrugging the thought off for the moment, he stood up to stretch his limbs, "That's it for today, boys. Time to pack up!"

The younger men who had been sleeping grudgingly woke up and nodded, '_Damn senpai and his talent as a salesman...'_

"Hey, should we go have some fun?"

Immediately, the two younger men brightened and turned to their senpai, who had a smug grin on.

"Nope. Just kidding, I don't drink with kids."

'_Aarrhhh! We are twenty already! Senpai, how could you?!'_

They sighed and began packing.

The journey back would be just as exhausting as the journey here, if not more so.

The weight that came over them crushed and dissolved away their thoughts, replaced only by the yearn to return home and sleep.

And like that, the group moved eastward, towards the hot glare of the sun, beyond the gates and plains, towards their home by the sea.

**_To be continued..._**

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><p><strong>Glossary<strong>

Year XXX H.S. (火の支配, _Hi no Shihai_) - the calendar era of this universe, translating into "The Rule of Fire". More will be revealed on this subject in the future.

_Chiki-agi _(チキアギ) - fried fishcake.

_Hibana _(火花) - spark.

_Hiraishin Shij__ō_ (飛雷神市場) - Thunder God's Market.

_sugegasa_ (菅笠) - A simple conical shaped hat worn in the East to protect against the sun and rain. When made of straw or matting, it can be dipped in water and worn as an impromptu evaporative-cooling device (wiki).

_Hizō ha_ (秘蔵葉) - translating to something along the lines of "prized leaf". It is the currency and equivalent of "yen" or "dollars" in this AU. Most people simply say "ha" to simplify the word. They are shaped like shogi pieces.

**Author's Note**

Hi guys, this story just popped out of no where in my head after I finished my Calculus exam. I hope you enjoy it, though I am quite sure that'd prove difficult as I haven't proofread it yet. Anyways, you may have noticed a few things. First, this character called "Nori". That would be Naruto and Menma's older sister. Her appearance is that of "Naruko Uzumaki". "Ryou" and "Shi" were inspired by the word "fisherman" in Japanese. The name "Katsuaki" is based on the father of the voice actor of a character named "Yūsuke" in the Naruto series. Things do start slow in this chapter as I hadn't planned to write this until the last minute. The original plot I had will start from next chapter. Please review and constructively critique this please (: I don't write much, so learning more about it for this project would definitely help. Enjoy!


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